


The Home He's Found

by madgrace



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), F/M, Female Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Post-Canon, Self-Discovery, kidgeweek
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-17
Updated: 2016-12-17
Packaged: 2018-09-09 02:59:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,026
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8873068
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/madgrace/pseuds/madgrace
Summary: All his life Keith's never had what he would consider a home. Sure he's had houses and places he's lived in for a long period of time but he's never had a place that really felt like home. Written for Kidgeweek on tumblr. Prompt Five, Home.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This oneshot was a little different than my other kidgeweek oneshots so I decided to post it separately. Just a little disclaimer there is a brief mention of alcohol around the middle of this so if that's something that bothers you please keep that in mind.

Keith’s never had what one would consider a home. 

Yes, he’s had houses, he’s had dwelling spaces, he’s had places places that other’s might consider homes. But it’s not quite the same. Growing up without a family and then spending most of his life moving from foster home to foster home, he’s never really stayed in one place. He’s never had a place that made him feel at peace, a place where he felt content and warm. He’s not the most familiar with ‘homes’ but he’s always thought a home was more than where you lived or where you stayed. A grimy hotel room is not a home, a dormitory at the Garrison is not a home, a run down shack you find in the middle of the desert is not a home. 

Keith has never had a home. 

To most people this would perhaps be considered a tragic thing. But to Keith it’s merely a fact; neither good or bad, a simple inevitable part of his life that he’s likely not going to be able to change any time soon. In any case he’s never been one to stay in one place for a long period of time. He’s a wander, a nomad. The world had plenty of opportunities for him so why waste his time moping about homes and families when he could actually do something with his life. 

Shiro was the first thing close to having a home. 

Maybe it was because Shiro is just an overall ‘homey’ person. He made you feel safe and he made you feel like you belonged. He always seemed to understand you and he always knew how to make you smile. Being around Shiro was like being around this radiant beacon of light and Keith always found himself reaching for him. 

But sometimes bright lights can be overpowering and overtime Keith found himself becoming a shadow under Shiro’s light. It had nothing to do with Shiro as a person really. They just were too different in the end. Shiro had a tendency to hold Keith to a higher standard than he was capable and expect him to be a better person than he was. 

Keith is not a bad person no matter what anyone would say to the contrary. But he’s never been good like how Shiro is good. He’s not so willing to immediately sacrifice himself for others or make sure no one’s feelings get hurt. Keith does his best to do the right thing, that has always been the case. But unlike Shiro the means of getting the best possible result don't matter to him as much. He doesn’t have that noble soldier mentality that Shiro has. Maybe that’s why it didn’t work out at the Garrison. 

Being a part of Voltron has felt almost like a home. 

They were a team, all of them. For what felt like lifetimes they all traveled across the galaxies and fought together to protect the universe. Keith could depend on his teammates ( most of the time ). He could trust them. He’s found a family in his team and he found people that he would willingly give his life to save and protect. He cares about his teammates. He **loves** his teammates. 

But even the strongest of bonds can break and even the closest of friendships can fade away. As the years went by and the universe found an era of peace, Voltron became less and less necessary and the team went their separate ways. Most of the other paladins returned to earth and for a short period of time Keith did also. They still see each other frequently though, schedule time to visit during holidays and weekends. Even Allura and Coran visit from time to time. They’re all still close but it’s now that they’re no longer living under one roof it’s hard to keep in contact and stay as close as they used to be. 

After a year or so spent on earth Keith takes to the skies once more. The stars and the planets have always offered a more warm welcome that the earth and ground below. He finds adventure in the travel and he finds joy. But a sort of empty feeling lingers within him no matter how hard he tries. 

For still, after everything he doesn’t have a home. 

But this time it’s different. Keith’s no longer the hotheaded teenager who constantly ran headfirst into danger. He’s nearing twenty five now and feels like he’s aged additional years due to his hardships. He’s no longer seeking adventure and freedom but rather safety and stability. For the first time in his life he really truly wants a home.

So he returns to earth, feeling just about as lost as he’d been when he’d left. He buys an apartment, he buys groceries, he meets his neighbors and gets settled in. He’s moved from space exploration to regular domestic life. But it’s not enough, it never seems to be enough. He still feels empty, he still feels lonely. 

And then like a shooting star she crashes into his life once more. 

At twenty three Pidge is quite a woman. Her young scrawny limbs hardening into lean muscles. Her face has lost it’s youthful roundness and her figure is no longer the boy like straight and narrow shape it had been in their years being paladins. She’s a bit taller too if he’s not mistaken, probably not more than an inch or two but it’s a significant enough growth. Her eyes are still bright and full of wonder even after all these years. 

She’s absolutely beautiful. 

When she steps onto to Keith’s doorstep, Pidge enters his apartment like she already owns the place, removing her coat and sitting down comfortably onto his couch. He’s not surprised by this. Pidge has always let herself be welcome and comfortable even if it was perhaps a little rude. It doesn’t bother Keith though. It goes both ways really. They’ve always been able to feel comfortable around each other. It’s been that way for as long as he can remember. 

She teasingly scolds him for neglecting to tell her that he’d returned to earth and that she’d had to hear it from Allura that he’d returned. It hadn’t been intentional. Really he was still settling in and hadn’t really told any of the others yet. Allura and Coran only knew because he’d gone to visit them before returning. 

He tries to make her dinner and after he’d burnt it to a crisp, Pidge suggests ordering a pizza. They talk for hours, fighting over certain slices of pizza as they did so. She makes him laugh more times than he can count, more times than he ever did during his space travel. He feels at peace and he feels happy with her. They fall asleep together on his cheap couch some time after three in the morning. She drools on him but he doesn’t mind. 

It’s the first of many visits she makes. Keith’s apartment is relatively close to the Holt residence so Pidge comes and goes as she pleases. She practically lives there at this point. She’ll even stop by when Keith’s not even home and let herself in and eat his food. At that point he just gives her a key and a request not to eat his hotpockets without his permission. 

It takes him a full year to kiss her. Well for her to kiss him to be more exact.

It’s a Saturday evening and they’re playing monopoly. It’s gotten pretty competitive and neither of them are willing to give in. They’re also a little drunk off the case of cheap beer Pidge had brought a couple days prior to repay Keith for the food she’d stolen. The alcohol puts his nerves to rest and lets both of them loosen up. Unsurprisingly it also makes the board game much more lively and enjoyable, especially considering Pidge has been pretending her dog game piece has been taking a dump on every piece of property Keith has purchased. 

When Pidge wins she rises to her feet and parades triumphantly around the apartment. She dances in this really goofy and dory fashion and Keith wishes he’d thought to get her on tape. When she reaches him once more she giggles, stooping down and giving him a sloppy kiss full on the mouth. 

It comes as a shock to both of them really, Keith flinching and pulling away and Pidge staring back in horror like she’d just done something embarrassing. They both don’t speak of it for several days to come. Because at that point it just felt easier to pretend nothing happened than to face the current reality of whatever this had become. But it’s clear to both of them that neither have them had forgotten nor would be likely to forget any time soon. The tension is clear and for the first time in years they don’t feel completely at ease in the other’s presence. 

It’s Keith who breaks the silence first, exploding in a mess of confusion and conflicted feelings. The conversation gets a bit louder than either of them had anticipated. Though perhaps when one represses certain feelings for as long as they have it’s bound to get a bit shouty. They’re both frustrated at their current situation but even more frustrated that they’ve wasted all this time.

Another year in and Pidge has officially moved into his apartment. She brings all sorts of weird tech with her along with her regular things. She dumps her equipment in the middle of the living room floor with the promise that she’ll put it in a proper place when she’s finished unpacking. She never does. 

In the middle of the night Keith will find her in the living room working ardently on her tech and he’ll literally have to carry her back to bed because she’s far too stubborn to do so on their own. They work, they live, they thrive. On some days he’ll come home to see Pidge cooking. She’s always been a better cook than him and had it not been for her they’d be living on ramen noodles and delivery takeout. They smile together, they laugh together. They’re happy and for the first time in his life he’s found something he can confidently call a home. 

Keith knows everything about Pidge at this point. He knows how she likes her meat cooked and what movies she says she hates but secretly loves. He knows that if she laughs really, _really_ hard she’ll snort and wrinkle her nose. He knows her like the back of his hand and she knows him like the back of hers. 

It’s a surprise to him that it turned out this way yet at the same time it’s always made sense. They’re both so similar and have always seemed to meld together well. They just seemed to fit and maybe in some way he’s always known it was meant to be her. 

She brought him comfort and she brought him peace. She brings the feeling of warm familiarity whenever she’s near and in dark times he’s had her to depend on and tether him to the ground. 

Maybe that’s what a home really is. Not so much a place but a person you can count on to always make you feel safe and welcome. A person to keep you grounded and allow you to be yourself. He’s never had to pretend with her. They may have had their own problems like everyone but they’ve always been honest with each other and in the end that’s what keeps them from falling apart. 

Keith’s not sure where the future may take him; whether some new threat will come to the galaxies or whether he’ll lose himself again. He could very well die tomorrow and never see the skies again. But he knows at this moment in this small little apartment he’s found something. He’s found the thing he’s been searching for for practically his whole life. And when he wraps his arms around Pidge and holds her in his arms he knows that he’s finally home.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!


End file.
